Machines for mounting shoes on lasts



March 15, 1955 A. s. DoRosz 2,703,396

MACHINES FOR MOUNTING SHOES ON LASTS Filed May 2, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet l March 15,. 1955 A. s. DOROSZ 2,703,896

MACHINES FOR MOUNTING SHOES ON LASTS Filed May 2, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 lnuemw" Adolph 5 Dorosz United States Patent C MACHINES FOR MOUNTING SHOES ON LASTS Adolph S. Dorosz, Beverly, Mass., assignor to United Shoe Machinery Corporation, Flemington, N. J., a corporation of New Jersey Application May 2, 1952, Serial No. 285,742

Claims. (Cl. 12-15 This invention relates to machines for mounting shoes on lasts and it is herein disclosed as embodied 1n a machine for mounting the heel portion of a shoe upon a last after the toe portion has been so mounted. The mounting of the toe portion of the shoe upon the last may be done eiher by hand or by a machine of the type disclosed in United States Letters Patent No. 2,692,998, granted November 2, 1954 upon an applicatlon filed in the names of Adolph S. Dorosz and Willard L. Baker.

The machine disclosed herein resembles the relasting machine shown in United States Letters Patent No. 2,226,774, granted December 31, 1940 upon the apphcation of John T. Lancaster, to the extent that it has an upstanding last pin upon which the collapsed hinged last is mounted in inverted position, a horn which rocks over the heel end of the last as a fulcrum to draw the heel portion of the shoe over the heel portion of the last, and a pad engageable with the forepart of the shoe for exerting an upward thrust against the shoe to stralghten the last.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a simple and improved machine of the type referred to in the preceding paragraph. In accordance with a feature of the invention, the pad can readily be released from its operating mechanism when its use is not required. Furthermore, a self-releasing connection is provided provided whereby the pad, after it has straightened the last, is automatically disconnected from the operating mechanism during a final movement of withdrawal of the horn from between the shoe and the last. In accordance with a further feature, the pad is made to push up against the forepart of the shoe with a positive thrust to insure a definite timed relation of the movements of the pad and the horn during a critical portion of the operation, and then, as the pad nears completion of its upward movement, to press yieldingly against the shoe to avoid breakage of the last or the machine.

These and other features of the invention, including details of construction and the arrangement of parts, will now be more particularly described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of an illustrative machine embodying the invention, showing the positions of the various parts before the treadle is depressed;

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing the various parts at an intermediate stage of the operation;

Fig. 3 is a view of the horn as seen when looking in the direction of the arrow III on Fig. 1; and

Fig. 4 is an end view of the horn shown in Fig. 3.

The illustrated machine is shown in operation upon a shoe S, the forepart of which has been mounted upon a hinged last L. The machine has a post 10 surmounted by a last pin 12 for supporting the last. While the heel end of the last is thus supported, with the last in collapsed or broken condition, a horn 14 is rocked about the heel end of the last to draw the heel end of the shoe upon the last, and, at the same time, a pad 16 is pushed upward against the forepart of the shoe to straighten the last. The lower portion of the post 10 is clamped by a screw 18 for heightwise adjustment in a socket 20 which is integral with a frame casting 22 secured to the floor.

The horn 14 comprises a pair of bladelike members 24 hinged upon a pintle 26. Inasmuch as this horn is similar to the horn shown in Fig. 7 of United States Letters Patent No. 1,856,291, granted May 3, 1932, upon the application of Arthur F. Pym no further description of it is necessary herein. Integral with the pintle 26 is post on opposite sides thereof.

an ear 28 which is pivotally mounted on a pin 30 extending between a pair of ears 32 upstanding from a socket 34. Formed upon the lower edge of the ear 28 below the pin 30 is a cam surface 36 engaged by a detent 38 to hold the horn 14 normally in the position, relative to the socket 34, shown in broken lines in Fig. l. The detent 38 is pressed against the cam surface 36 by a compression spring 40 housed within the socket 34. A setscrew 42 secures the socket 34 upon the upper end of a rod 44 having rigidly secured upon its lower end a bracket 46 which is pivotally connected by a pin 48 to a lever 50. A pin 52 mounted in a forward extension of the frame casting 22 provides a fulcrum about which the lever 50 can swing heightwise. Operation of the lever 50 is effected by a link 54 pivotally connected at its upper end by a pin 56 to the lever and at its lower end by a pin 58 to the forward portion of a treadle 60. A pin 62 mounted in a rearward extension of the frame casting 22 provides a fulcrum for the treadle 60, and a spring 64 yieldingly holds the treadle up. The rod 44 is normally held forward by a tension spring 66 stretched between the bracket 46 and an ear extending from the lever 50. A guide 68 mounted on the post 10 and extending forward therefrom has formed in it a slot in which the rod 44 is slidable forward and rearward while at the same time it is prevented from moving laterally. This slot has a forward end 70 which serves as a stop to hold the rod 44 against the tension of the spring 66 when the machine is not in use. No stop is provided for the treadle 60, the tension spring 64 being constructed and arranged normally to hold the treadle up in an at rest position wherein the horn 14 and the rod 44 occupy their broken line position shown in Fig. 1.

The pad 16 comprises a rigid block 72 covered by a rubber cushion 74 over which is secured a leather facing 76. The block 72 is pivotally mounted for swinging movement of adjustment longitudinally of the shoe upon a pin 78 extending between and supported by a pair of parallel arms of a yoke 80. Extending rotatably through an intermediate portion of the block 72 is a swivel 82 through which is threaded an adjusting screw 84 having a knurled collar 86 to facilitate turning, the block being slotted to clear the screw. The screw 84 has a smooth shank extending through a swivel 87 which is rotatably mounted 1n the arms of the yoke 80. The collar 86 and a head 88 on the screw 84 embrace the swivel 87 to prevent the screw from moving axially while permitting it to turn freely. To enable the yoke 80 to serve as a guide for the pad 16 in its operative movement, the upper and forward end portions of the arms of the yoke straddle the shoe and the last and are pivotally mounted upon a pair of coaxial pins 90 carried by the upper portrons of supporting bars 92. These supporting bars 92 are inetgral with the post 10 and they extend in the form of a U-shaped bracket laterally and upward from said The bars 92 furthermore incline somewhat rearward (i. e., toeward with respect to the shoe) from their junction with the post 10, while the post tself, which rises vertically from the socket 20 up to sa d junction, inclines somewhat forward above the unction. The last pin 12 thus occupies a position forward of the pivot pins 90. The common axis of the pivot pins 99 is not coincident with the axis of the hinge of the last, but is a little forward (i. e., heelward) of that axis and on a lower level. As the yoke 80 swings up about the axis of the pins 90, the pad 16 will therefore exert not only a straightening action upon the last, but also a heelward wiping action upon the shoe. It should be noted also that the last pin 12 inclines rearward, and the supporting upper surface of the post 10 is correspondmgly inclined, the purpose of such inclination being to enable the horn 14 to move down in a tangent to the curve of the heel end of the last and thus to withdraw fgom between the shoe and the last without straining the s oe.

The lower end of the yoke 80 is pivotally connected by a pm 94 to the upper end of a composite telescoping rod 96, the lower end of which rod is pivotally connected by a pin 98 to a lever 100 fulcrumed upon a pin 102 carried by a lug on the socket 20. The telescoping rod 96 comprises a tubular lower member 104 which slidingly receives the lower portion of an upwardly extending rod 106. Connecting the upper end of the rod 106 to a socket 108 is a turnbuckle 110. The socket 108, which thus constitutes an adjustable extension of the rod 106, is pivotally connected by the pin 94 to the yoke 80. Threaded upon the upper portion of the rod 106 is a collar 112; and a compression spring 114, surrounding the rod 106, has its upper end bearing against the lower surface of the collar 112 and its lower end bearing against a washer 116 which surrounds the tubular rod 104 and abuts against a shoulder on the tubular rod near the upper end thereof. The spring 114 thus tends to extend the telescoping rod 96 to an extent determined by a stop pin 118 on the rod 106 and engaging the end of a closed slot 120 formed in the wall of the tubular member 104.

The telescoping rod 96 is normally held positively locked against contraction by a latch 122 fulcrumed upon a pin 124 which is carried by an ear extending from the tubular member 104. The latch 122 has a portion in the form of a detent 126 extending through an opening in the wall of the tubular member 104 and engaging a recess in the rod 106 to hold the rod 106 positively against movement of contraction relatively to the tubular member 104. A tension spring 128 is stretched between a pin on the latch 122 and an ear extending from the tubular member 104 to hold the latch normally in latched position. The latch 122 has a tail 130 to which is connected the upper end of a normally slack chain 132, the lower end of which is hooked to a portion of the frame casting 22. The weight of the lever 100 and its associated members holds it normally in a position determined by a stop 135, said weight being partly counterbalanced by a tension spring 133 stretched between the upper portion of the post and the lever 100.

Movement of the pad 16 is etfected through connections comprising a dog 134 fulcrumed upon a pin 136 carried by the lever 50 and normally held in a stopped position on said lever by a tension spring 138, the dog and the lever having surfaces 140 which engage to limit movement of the dog in a counterclockwise direction as seen in Fig. l. The dog 134, when the various parts of the machine are in their initial positions, slidingly overlaps an upper surface on a crossbar 142 carried by forwardly extending yoke arms 144 of the lever 100. Depression of the lever 50 thus operates, through the dog 134, to swing the lever 100 in a counterclockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 1, creating an upward thrust in the telescoping rod 96 and urging the pad 16 up against the forepart of the shoe to straighten the last. When use of the pad 16 is not desired, the dog 134 can be moved to an inoperative position wherein it cannot engage the crossbar 142, such movement being efiected by an arm 146 extending rearwardly from a handle 148 which is fulcrumed upon a pin 150 on the lever 50. A spring pressed detent 152 in the handle 148 cooperates with notches formed in a sector on the lever 50 to latch the handle 148 in operative or inoperative positions. Fig. 1 shows the handle latched in a position wherein the dog 134 is operative to raise the pad 16 on depression of the treadle. If the handle 148 is now moved counterclockwise, the arm 146 will engage an extension on the dog 134 to rotate the dog in a clockwise direction into a position such that the dog will not engage the crossbar 142. In making this adjustment, the operator first lifts the rod 44 to raise the dog 134 off the crossbar 142.

The operation of the machine will now be explained. First, the last L, with the forepart of the shoe S mounted upon the last, is placed upon the last pin 12 and the last, if straight, can then be broken. The turnbuckle 110 is then turned to bring the pad 16 almost into engagement with the shoe upper. Lasts of different types may require this adjustment to insure an initial minimum clearance between the pad and the shoe. With such minimum clearance, the pad begins its operation as soon as the treadle, upon depression by the operator, begins its downward movement, and the operative movement of the pad, during the critical stage of the operation (as will be explained later) takes place in timed relation to the movement of the horn. After the turnbuckle 110 has been adjusted, the knurled collar 86 is turned to bring the pad 16 into the position, with respect to the concave curvature of the last at this locality, at which the wiping action of the pad will be most etfective to urge the shoe heelwardly on the last. These adjustments need be changed only for different sizes and styles of lasts.

Fig. 1 shows the treadle in its up position, with the dog 134 resting lightly on the crossbar 142. The born 14 is now moved by hand from its rest position, shown in broken lines in Fig. 1, to its initial operative position, shown in full lines in Fig. 1, with the upper portion of the horn Within the shoe and the intermediate portion of the horn bearing against the back of the last as a fulcrum. The spring pressed detent 38 yields to permit the horn to assume whatever angular position may be imposed upon it by the shoe and the last.

The operator now depresses the treadle, causing the pad 16 to begin straightening the last while the horn 14 rocks around the heel end of the last to pull the shoe heelward and guide the heel end of the shoe upon the last as shown in Fig. 2. While the last is still in broken condition, the horn 14 can do this without unduly straining the topline of the shoe upper. The last, as it straightens within the shoe, acts somewhat as a toggle to stretch the shoe and it is this toggle-like effect in combination with the effect of the bulge (both transverse and heightwise) of the heel portion of the last that renders the operation critical while the topline of the shoe upper is passing over the bulge. If, during this period, the heel end of the shoe is pulled too far, or not far enough, upon the last at any stage of the straightening of the last, needless strain upon the shoe will result. Hence it is important, during this critical period of the operation, to maintain a strict timed relation between the movements of the horn and the pad.

Before the last L has been completely straightened, the latch 122 must be tripped to render the upward thrust of the pad 16 yielding. Fig. 2 shows the chain 132 as taut and ready to begin rocking the latch 122 and, by the end of the shoe is pulled too far, or not far enough, for the latch to release the rod 106, the upper edge of the shoe upper will have passed over the bulge of the last. The thrust of the tubular member 104 is now transmitted through the spring 114 and, when the last straightens, further upward movement of the tubular member compresses the spring without damaging the machine or the last, or without stopping the operation of the machine.

Once the last has been straightened, further upward pressure of the pad 16 is no longer necessary. Therefore the levers 50 and are so arranged as to insure that the dog 134 will ride off the crossbar 142 shortly after the treadle 60 has been depressed far enough to straighten the last. The pad 16, the rod 96, and their associated parts now drop back to their initial or at rest position, enabling the chain 132 to slacken and the spring 114 to expand and reset the latch 122. The treadle 60 can now be depressed further without opposition by the spring 114, and such further depression serves to withdraw the horn 14 from between the 'shoe and the last. Such withdrawal takes plase without straining the shoe, because the inclined position of the last enables the horn 14 to follow the heightwise curvature of the heel end of the last tangentially. As soon as the tip of the horn 14 clears the shoe, the spring 66 will pull the rod 44 forward against the stop 70. The treadle 60 can now be released and as the treadle rises, the dog 134 will rise above the crossbar 142 and snap into its operative position.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a machine for mounting shoes on lasts, a support for a collapsed last upon the forepart of which last a shoe has been mounted, means engageable with the forepart of the shoe to straighten the last, a horn, means for operf ll'lg the horn to cause it to draw the heel portion of the shoe over the heel portion of the last, and a releasable connection through which the operating means can operate the straightening means.

2. In a machine for mounting shoes on lasts, a support for a collapsed last upon the forepart of which last a shoe has been mounted, means engageable with the forepart of the shoe to straighten the last, a horn, means for operating the horn to cause it to draw the heel portion of the shoe over the heel portion of the last and then to withdraw from between the shoe and the last, and an automatically releasing connection through which the operating means operates the straightening means, the release of said connection serving to disconnect the straightening means after the latter has performed its function and during the withdrawal of the horn.

3. In a machine for mounting shoes on lasts, a support for a collapsed last upon the forepart of which last a shoe has been mounted, means engageable with the forepart of the shoe to straighten the last, a horn, means for operating the horn to cause it to draw the heel portion of the shoe over the heel portion of the last and then to withdraw from between the shoe and the last, an automatically releasing connection through which the operating means can operate the straightening means, the release of said automatically releasing connection serving to disconnect the straightening means after the latter has performed its function and during the withdrawal of the horn, and manually operable means for holding said automatically releasing connection disengaged during the entire operation when the use of the straightening means is not desired.

4. In a machine for mounting shoes on lasts, a support for a collapsed last upon the forepart of which last a shoe has been mounted, a pad engageable with the forepart of the upper of the shoe on the last, means for exerting a positive thrust through the pad against the shoe in a direction heightwise of the shoe to straighten the last, and means operable during the exertion of said positive thrust for rendering the thrust impositive and continuing it as a yielding thrust to avoid breakage of the last or machine after the last has completed its straightening movement.

5. In a machine for mounting shoes on lasts, a support for a collapsed last upon the forepart of which last a shoe has been mounted, a pad engageable with the forepart of the upper of the shoe on the last, a rod consisting of a pair of telescoping sections for transmitting to the pad and thence to the shoe and last a force directed heightwise of the shoe to straighten the last, means for applying such a force to the rod, means for holding the sections of the rod locked against telescoping movement to insure positive transmission of the applied force to the last, means operable during the application of force to the rod to render said holding means inoperative and thereby permit the rod to contract, and a spring acting upon the rod sections to yieldingly oppose contraction of the rod and to transmit the applied force to the pad yieldingly so as to avoid breakage of the last or machine after the last has completed its straightening movement.

6. In a machine for mounting shoes or lasts, a support for a collapsed last upon the forepart of which last a shoe has been mounted, a pad engageable with the forepart of the upper of the shoe on the last, a movable rod consisting of a pair of telescoping sections for transmitting to the pad and thence to the shoe and last a force directed heightwise of the shoe to straighten the last, means for applying such a force to the rod, a lever fulcrumed on one of the rod sections and having at one end a detent engageable with the other rod section to lock the sections against telescoping movement to insure positive transmission of the applied force to the last, said lever having an opposite end by which the lever can be rocked to unlock the detent, a spring yieldably urging the detent into locking position, means for holding said opposite end of the lever against movement with the rod before completion of the movement of the rod by the applied force, the detent being constructed and arranged to unlock when the lever is thus held, and a spring acting upon the rod sections to yieldingly oppose contraction of the rod when the detent unlocks, said spring thus serving to transmit the applied force to the pad yieldingly so as to avoid breakage of the last or machine after the last has completed its straightening movement.

In a machine for mounting shoes on lasts, means for supporting in inverted position a collapsed last upon the forepart of which last a shoe has been mounted, a horn for drawing the heel portion of the shoe over the heel portion of the last by rocking about the heel end of the last as a fulcrum, a rod having an upper end upon which the horn is pivotally mounted, a treadle, connections between the treadle and the lower end of the rod for lowering the rod to operate the horn, a pad engageable with the forepart of the shoe for straightening the last by an upward thrust against the shoe, a rod having an upper end connected to the pad, and connections between the lower end of the second mentioned rod and the treadle for exerting an upward thrust through the second mentioned rod to cause the pad to straighten the last.

8. In a machine for mounting shoes on lasts, a last pin for supporting in inverted position a collapsed last upon the forepart of which a shoe has been mounted, a horn for drawing the heel portion of the shoe over the heel portion of the last by rocking about the heel end of the last as a fulcrum, a pad engageable with the forepart of the shoe for straightening the last by an upward thrust against the shoe, a frame for supporting the last pin, a lever fulcrumed on said frame, a connection for transmitting movement of said lever to the horn to operate the horn, a second lever fulcrumed on the frame, and a connection for transmitting movement from the second mentioned lever to the pad to operate the pad, the first mentioned lever having an end portion in the form of a dog which overlaps an end of the second mentioned lever to move the second mentioned lever in a direction to operate the pad, and both levers being constructed and arranged to insure disengagement of the dog from the second mentioned lever by sliding off the end thereof as the levers swing about their fulcra to release the pad from the first mentioned lever while the latter continues to move the horn.

9. In a machine for mounting shoes on lasts, a last pin for supporting in inverted position a collapsed hinged last upon the forepart of which a shoe has been mounted, a frame for supporting the last pin and having upstanding arms disposed on opposite sides of the last, a yoke having a pair of arms pivotally connected respectively to the upper portions of said upstanding arms, said yoke extending toeward from the arms of the frame at a level below that of the forepart of the collapsed last, a pad carrier block pivotally connected to the yoke and extending up therefrom, a pad carried by the pad carrier block for engagement with the upper of the forepart of the shoe, means for securing the pad carrier block in a desired position of pivotal adjustment about its connection to the yoke to determine the position of engagement of the pad in a direction longitudinal of the shoe, and means for raising the yoke to bring the pad into thrusting engagement with the upper of the forepart of the shoe to straighten the last.

10. In a machine for mounting shoes on lasts, a last pin for supporting in inverted position a collapsed hinged last upon the forepart of which a shoe has been mounted, a frame having a column for supporting the last pin, a U-shaped bracket on the column having arms which extend up on opposite sides of the last, a yoke having'a pair of arms, a pair of coaxial pivotal connections whereby the arms of the yoke are mounted for swinging movement on the arms of the bracket, a pad on the yoke, and means for raising the yoke to bring the pad into thrusting engagement with the upper of the forepart of the shoe to straighten the last, said pivotal connections being located at a level somewhat lower than that of the hinge of a conventional last on the last pin to insure a relative wiping movement of the pad against the shoe in a direction to urge the shoe heelward on the last as the last straightens.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 418,694 Dean Jan. 7, 1890 1,131,983 Ballard Mar. 16, 1915 1,908,356 Holmgren May 9, 1933 2,195,090 LaChapelle Mar. 26, 1940 2,226,774 Lancaster Dec. 31, 1940 2,239,815 Engel et a1. Apr. 29, 1941 FOREIGN PATENTS 4,436 Great Britain of 1883 16,898 Great Britain of 1904 17,689 Great Britain of 1907 29,317 Great Britain of 1910 

